I think this is the right section for this... This afternoon at the end of our bunch ride, there was a little impromptu sprint for the finish, well, more of a pace increase really. Anyway, I wanted to have a go as I had plenty of energy left, but as soon as I lifted my pace both calves cramped solid. Not painful at all but I couldn't bend my ankles at all which made it awkward to say the least.

About 5-10 seconds after I gave up and started coasting they just came good. This isn't the first time it's happened to me, though normally it's only one leg. Also, often during the ride if I'm pushing hard on a climb I can sometimes feel my calves/hamstrings just on the verge of cramping.

Any suggestions as to what the cause could be? I drink 500ml of gatorade and some water about 1/2 an hour before the ride (though when I've used it up I'll be buying something that contains magnesium). Do I just need more salt?

"...for many people your life is not worth the effort it takes to pay attention or the extra few seconds they may need to wait before they can safely get around you."-BikeSnobNYC

Thanks Alex. I'm calling it a cramp because both calves went rock hard and I couldn't bend my ankles, although there was no pain like you'd normally associate with cramps. But I guess it's still a cramp.

I read an article the other day claming what electrolytes should be in what concentrations in your sports drink so I went and checked the Gatorade (powder) which only had about 1/2 the things and in lower concentrations. I'll try something "better" next time and hopefully that helps too. But as with most things cycling related, I suspect more, faster, harder and longer will probably help most

"...for many people your life is not worth the effort it takes to pay attention or the extra few seconds they may need to wait before they can safely get around you."-BikeSnobNYC

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